Meena Media Awards 2010: UNICEF honours best work on children in the media

Dhaka 29 November, 2010. UNICEF today announced the winners of the sixth annual Meena Media Awards, honouring 21 journalists, documentary makers and writers for their excellent work in promoting child rights. Award winners and nominees were selected from around 400 entries in two major categories: journalistic and creative, for both print and electronic media.

UNICEF’s representative, Carel de Rooy, presented crests and certificates to the winners in a programme held in Dhaka in the presence of media representatives and guests.

“You have done the children of this country a great service by bringing children’s voices and issues to the forefront, said Carel de Rooy as he congratulated the winners. ‘Media reports, like yours, serve to draw attention to violations of children’s rights and hold Governments, civil society, communities and families accountable. But a lot more needs to be done. A recent study supported by UNICEF shows that the media in Bangladesh are under reporting on children’s issues despite the fact that around 45 per cent of the total population of Bangladesh is under 18 years old.’

The Awards recognise entrants in two age groups (above 18 years of age, and under 18 years of age) who have produced outstanding media content on and for children over the past year.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize recipients in each category and age group received prize money of Tk 50,000, Tk 25,000 and Tk 15,000 respectively.

Eminent personalities from the fields of literature, journalism, film and documentary, and academia made up the panel of judges who adhered to a rigorous and transparent process to select the winners. Names of participants and their media houses were not revealed until after the final decisions were made. The judges included Selina Hossain, Shahnoor Wahid, Shumona Sharmin, Robaet Ferdous, Shamim Shahed, Ratan Paul and Shameem Reza.

The Meena Media Awards were introduced in 2005 by UNICEF to celebrate excellence in both print media and television, to promote child rights. The award is named after Meena, the popular animation character held dear by children and adults alike in Bangladesh.

Meena is a change agent within her family and community, and her stories champion the rights of children across South Asia. The Meena Media Awards endeavour to honour those who work with the same spirit, conviction and motivation to lift the status of children in Bangladesh.

About UNICEF UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.